Give credit where it's due

CLEVELAND -- Paul Byrd looks about as athletic as the guy you might see laboring on a treadmill at the local YMCA.

That's about as much respect as he's gotten throughout much of his major league career, too.

Even after winning 15 games for the Indians during the regular season, all anyone wanted to talk about before Game 4 of the AL Divisional Series against the Yankees was that the Indians should skip Byrd's turn in the starting rotation.

Instead, manager Eric Wedge gave Byrd the ball and the righty won in Yankee Stadium to send the Tribe to the AL Championship Series.

While the 36-year-old Byrd may not look the part of an All-Star pitcher, don't let appearances fool you.

At least for this postseason, the owner of an unspectacular 97-81 career record has been the Tribe's ace.

Byrd followed up his gem against the Yankees by winning Game 4 of the ALCS 7-3 over the Boston Red Sox at Jacobs Field Tuesday night.

The Tribe went up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series and can earn a spot in the World Series with a win at home Thursday.

"This is the second time he's stepped up and did exactly what we needed him to do," said Indians third baseman Casey Blake. "He's probably, at least in my eyes, the MVP of our team right now."

Byrd's final line of two runs allowed in five-plus innings was the same he put up against the Yankees. He blanked the Red Sox before running out of gas and giving up back-to-back home runs to start the sixth and warrant the hook from Wedge.

It was once again more than the Tribe could have hoped for from Byrd, who left the game to a standing ovation from the crowd of 44,008.

"I went out there and my goal was to move the ball in and out, inside part of the plate, outside part of the plate," Byrd said. "I think sometimes these guys can scare people and shy away from throwing the ball in thinking they're going to hit another home run."

Byrd's played for six different teams during his 11-year career and survived two major shoulder surgeries. He makes up for what he doesn't have in muscle, or speed on his fastball, with brains, ornery competitiveness and lots of self-confidence.

Byrd used his usual recipe for success last night. He changed up his speeds and locations, didn't walk anyone and forced the Red Sox to put the ball in play -- on his pitch.

"I didn't really expect to strike anybody out," said Bird, a 6-foot-1, 190-pounder. "I was hoping to jam some people. I hit 90 miles per hour, which happens a few times a year. I high-fived a couple guys in the dugout and said, 'Hey, pick me up here. I just hit 90.'"

Byrd walked just 1.31 batters per nine innings during the regular season for the lowest total in the AL and he gave up a league-high 11.2 hits per nine.

"I don't mind giving up the most hits as long as I'm going to give up the fewest walks," Byrd said.

Using his old-school wind-up, and even an occasional double-pump delivery, Byrd struck out four, walked none and gave up six hits before turning it over to the bullpen.

Byrd said he came up with the throwback delivery, which looks like a pitcher reincarnated from grainy black-and-white film in the 1930s, in 2002 when trying to return from a torn labrum with the Royals.

The windup helped him get a little more on his fastball and also proved to be difficult for hitters to pick up the ball.

It's helped Byrd achieve the greatest year of his career and get one win away from reaching his first World Series.

Perhaps symbolic of the 2007 Cleveland Indians as a whole, the underdog Byrd is pitching his best baseball at just the right time.

Aaron Dorksen can be reached at (330) 287-1621 or adorksen@the-daily-record.com